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Wednesday, 12 April 2017

Resources for a Budget Wedding

Riddle: What's the most expensive one-day affair in Singapore?

If you guessed weddings, you got that right.

With the costs of the average Singaporean wedding ranging from $40,000 - $70,000, it is no surprise that more and more couples are looking for ways to reduce this figure. After all, wouldn't it make more sense to spend it on your new home instead (which you'll be living in for years to come), rather than splurging everything on a one-day event that hardly lasts 15 hours?

If you're here because you're thinking of DIY-ing your own wedding, or just hoping to find ways to reduce the cost of your big day, here are some tips I've consolidated and applied to my own fairytale wedding (for under $100 per guest at the banquet):

Weddings are getting ridiculously expensive in Singapore.
It is no secret that inflation occurs at a ridiculous rate for the wedding industry. Photographers or hotel banquets raising their fees by a few hundreds each year? Yup. You can start getting prepared by looking at estimated costs for wedding services in Singapore.

Why I refused to hold an expensive wedding
Why blow an entire year worth of your salary on a one-day affair? Consider spending the money on travelling or building a comfortable nest (house) instead - stuff that would add more value to your marriage, rather than a one-day show for the whole world to see.

But I'll "recoup" my wedding expenses from the ang paos!
Not every couple covers back the cost of their wedding from the ang paos. Often, it also depends on who you invite to your wedding, and when you have limited seats, are you sure you want to choose between inviting your friends and the ones (you're not so close to) who can give you a bigger ang pao?

How should I start planning my wedding?
Unless you can afford a wedding planner, you'll probably be doing most of the planning for your big day in order to save some costs. Here's a good 10-step guide to to follow if you're feeling lost as a new bride-to-be.

Photo Credits: Jovial Photography

How can I keep my wedding costs low?
No matter what the wedding industry tells you, I'm not a believer in spending a bomb on just one day of your life. After all, I'd rather spend that money on my house, future travels, or more. If you feel the same way, here's how you could potentially keep the cost of your wedding to under $25,000. And yes, that excludes ang paos given to you by your guests.

While there are plenty of resources online by other brides who claim to have executed their wedding for 4 digits, note that those are usually smaller affairs for less than 100 guests, so what worked for them may not apply for you if you have a bigger guestlist on your hands. Do your research and adapt the tips that work for your situation accordingly.

Should I get a bridal package, or go ala-carte?
If you're looking to cover multiple bases at one shot, bridal packages offer a great deal of convenience to brides who are too busy to take care of the nitty gritty details. Of course, the price you thus pay is a lot higher, sometimes two-fold of what it would cost if you DIY-ed the different vendors yourself.

Perhaps you've always admired a certain photographer's style, and dreamed of having him/her shoot for your big day. If you want to be able to pick the wedding vendors you work with individually, then going ala-carte would give you the most control over quality. However, be prepared to do more work as more effort on the planning and coordination is needed if you're planning to go ala-carte.

What should I look out for when buying my wedding gown on Taobao?
Taobao is a fantastic resource for all budget brides! But just remember that if you opt to get your gowns here, there's a chance of it being either a "hit" or a "miss". Here are some tips I recommend in order for you to minimise your chances of getting a gown that fails you!

Why do makeup artists charge so much for their services? What hidden fees should I look out for?
Welcome to the bridal makeup industry, where you can expect to pay upwards of $500 just for someone to doll you up on your wedding day! Having said that, you'll probably want to spend on hiring a hair & makeup artist lest you get too stressed out on your actual day, and also because given the sheer number of photographs you'll be taking, wouldn't you want to look good? To avoid getting ripped off by MUAs, read this article for the common hidden costs that your MUA probably won't tell you, about, and make sure you get them to include this in their quote for you so you don't get any nasty surprises at the last minute!

4 comments:

For engagement rings, just go for cubic zirconia which are 80% the hardness of diamonds (much harder than glass) and with 90% of the sparkliness. Cost from $5 to $20 depending on metal used (stainless steel or sterling silver) & size/number of the rock(s). Suggest a simple traditional 1 carat solitaire that will look damn real. Skip those outrageous 10-20 carat ones with multiple stones unless you really are a multi-millionaire & can carry off wearing such an ostentatious ring without anyone crying "Fake!".

The other thing is the banquet venue. If you have access to a big church then costs can be really lowered. Otherwise to keep costs down, you're left looking at cheesy old Chinese restaurants or even more cheesy community centres or void decks (hey we can learn something from our Malay friends).

I'm with you! Mine isn't cubic zirconia (it is a lab-produced "diamond" instead because I told my bf to not spend anything more than a thousand on it), but hear so many people say they want a real diamond because it is a representation of how much their boyfriend truly loves them, which I personally think is bull! But there'll always be people who won't settle for other alternatives like cubic zirconia...

hey BB! love reading your post :) but there are some posts which I am unable to access to. Like "What should I look out for when buying my wedding gown on Taobao?" and "cheap date ideas". May I know did you take down these posts?

Shh! Sometimes I send out secret tips via email.

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You can call me Dawn, and this little space on the Internet is where I write about becoming financially-free. Join me as we learn more about savings, budgeting, paying off debts, insurance and investing together!

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Please note that all statements published on this blog are solely opinions of my own i.e. of a personal nature, and should not in any way be taken as statements of fact. Readers are encouraged to do their own research before arriving at any conclusions based solely on materials provided, or republished, on this blog.